Trash moving fork for tractors



Aug. 4, 1953 o. MAYNARD TRASH MOVING FORK FOR TRACTORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed June 28, 1951 INVENTOR. ONNO L. MAYNARD AT TOR NEY o. MAYNARDTRASH MOVING FORK FOR TRACTORS Aug. 4, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June28, 1951 INVENTOR. ONNO L. MAYNARD "II H AT TORNEIY Patented Aug. 4,1953 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE TRASH MOVING FORK FOR TRACTORS ()nnoL. Maynard, Portland, Oreg.

Application June 28, 1951, Serial No. 234,057

This invention relates to trash moving forks, which are particularlyadapted to tractors for the moving of limbs, stumps and the like in landclearing.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a fork to be attachedto bulldozers of tractors adapted to move limbs, stumps and other trash,piling the same on piles for burning.

My new and improved fork is adapted to be operated from a hoisting drumassociated with the tractor. This new fork is adapted to pass underneatha pile of trash, picking the same up and elevating it to a high levelfrom where it can be dumped on to a pile of trash to be burned.

My new and improved lifting fork is so designed as to be easily attachedto the bulldozer on the tractor.

These and other incidental objects will be apparent in the drawings,specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates my new and improved lifting fork in its relation toa bulldozer, the tractor unit, the tractor and bulldozer beingillustrated in broken lines, the fork unit being partially broken awayfor the saving of space on the drawing.

Figure 2 is a plan View of Figure 1, parts broken away for convenienceof illustration.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional detail, taken on line 3-3of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken on line 44 ofFigure 2.

Figure 5 is a front elevation of Figure 1, partially broken away to savespace on the drawings.

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the fork assembly, partsbroken away in the saving of space on the sheet.

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken on line '|l ofFigure 5.

Figure 81s a plan sectional view, taken on line 8-8 of Figure 4. I

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary detail side view of the frame andthe fork assembly illustrating the automatic locking mechanism.

Referring more specifically to the drawings:

My new and improved lifting fork consists of a frame Lhaving brackets 2forming part thereof and adapted to be removably secured to thebulldozer blade 3 as by bolts 4, the said bulldozer blade being shown inbroken lines.

The fork unit itself consists of a hollow cross frame member 5, havingforks 6 extending forwardly therefrom and forming part thereof. Upwardlyextending brackets 1 form part of the fork assembly and have trunnionwheels 8 jour- 3 Claims. (01. 214-514) nalled thereto. These trunnionwheels are adapted to work up and down within the tracks 9 formed withinthe vertical uprights ill of the frame I. The trunnion wheels run up anddown within the said tracks 9 and have flanges II, which are adapted toembrace the sides of the tracks 9 as best illustrated in Figures 2 and5. This design tends to stabilize the movement of the forks up and downwithin the side frames [0.

Slidably mounted on the top of the forks 6 is a plow l2 for removing thetrash from the forks when dumping the same on to a pile of trash. Thisplow consists of a base plate I3 and a back l4.

Referring to Figure 2, trunnion wheels l5 are journalled to the bottomof the base plate 13 and are adapted to be guided along the edges l6 ofthe fork l1. These trunnions stabilize the position and movement of theplow in its operation, and also maintain the said plow in contact withthe topsurface of the forks, best illustrated in Figure 3.

Extending down and forming part of the base plate of the plow I2 is aboss or clamp l3 to which the cable I9 is dead-ended to by way of theusual cable ferrule 20. The cable [9 is trained about the sheaves 2|located at the point of the fork l1, and is brought back into the crossframe member 5 best illustrated in Figure '7, where it is trained aboutthe sheave 22 and brought up through the opening 23 and trained aboutthe sheave 24 located on the upper cross frame 25 of the main frame I,then trained over the sheave 26 and down to the hoisting drum 21 formingpart of the tractor. The operation of this cable will be laterdescribed.

The plow I2 is maintained in the retracted position as illustrated inFigures 1, 2, 5 and '7 by the action of the springs 28, which aredeadended within the cross frame 5 at 29 at their one end and connectedto the cables 30 at their opposite end, the cable Silhaving its oppositeends connected to the plow l2 at 3|, referring particularly to Figures 2and 4, the said cable operating over theidler sheaves 32 and 33. Theplow is locked in this position by the dogs 34 engaging the latches 35,the said latches being part of the plow. The dogs 34 formpart of thecranks 3B, which are journalled within the brackets I at 31.

A spring 38 causes the dogs 34 to engage the latches 35, the forwardmovement of the latches being arrested by the cam 39 forming part of thecrank which engages the stops 40, forming part of the bracket 1 as bestillustrated in Figure 2.

I will now describe the operation of my new and lifting fork. Thetractor is moved forward while the fork is in the position illustratedin Figure 1. The fork being raised or lowered by the usual liftingcylinder 4| on the tractor, which raises and lowers the bulldozer blade3 by way of the side members 42. The fork is forced underneath a pile oftrash after which the hoisting drum 2! is started to revolve, reeling upthe cable 19 lifting the forks to the broken line position.

At this point the arm 43 of the crank 36 engages the stops 44 located onthe vertical frames 10. This unlatches the dog 34 from the latch 35releasing the plow, and on further operation of the hoist 27 the plowwill be forced forward by the pull of the cable forcing the load oftrash off the ends of the forks. The pull of the cable in operating theplow is of sufiicient pressure to maintain the forks in their raisedposition until the plow reaches the endof its travel as indicated by theposition in Figures 1 and 6.

Referring to Figures 1, 2, and particularly 9, a positive means ofholding the forks in the broken line position as indicated in Figure lis provided by a spring hanger 50 which is secured to the uprights 9 at51. When the fork is raised to the position shown in Figure 1, the bellcrank 43 strikes the stop 44, this 'disengages the hook 34 from the dog35 permitting the plow l2 to travel towards the dotted position from theposition shown in Figure 9 to the dotted position shown in Figure 1. Thearms 54 carried by the plow 12 also strike the hook 50 of the hanger atthe same time the bell crank 43 engages the stop 44. This moves thehanger to the position illustrated in Figure 9, and when the plow movesaway forward, these arms will permit the hook 50 to engage the pin 52,which will support the fork assembly until the plow is returned to theposition shown in Figure 9, when it will engage the hook 511 unlatchingthe same from the pin 52 and allowing the fork assembly to lower, atwhich time the hook 34 will engage the dog 35 holding the plow in thisposition until again disengaged by the arm 43 engaging the stop 44.

The fork l 7, referring to Figure 3, is so shaped as to protect thecable I9 and provide tracks 45 on which the trunnion wheels I5 operate.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for moving trash, comprising a frame, a hollow casing fromwhich project a series of forks, flanges projecting from the casing,rollers on the flanges, said rollers operating in the guideways, a plowslidably mounted on the forks, means for locking the plow to the seriesof forks including triggers, trips on the frame with which the triggerscooperate to release the latches when the forks and plow are elevated,means between the frame and the forks for holding the latter in elevatedposition, means for elevating the forks and plow to latch releasingposition and by continued operation slide the plow outwardly on theforks, means for returning the plow to the rear of the forks whileelevated, after the elevating means has been released, and means forfreeing the forks and plow from the frame to permit same to drop bygravity to normal position.

2. Apparatus for moving trash comprising a frame having a pair ofvertical guides, a series of connected forks including a rear hollowcross bar and a pair of flanges, rollers on the flanges to operate inthe vertical guides, a plow supported on the forks, latches between thehollow cross bar and the plow, the latches having spring actuatedtriggers, pins extending outwardly from the flanges, projectionsextending rearwardly from the plow, a cable attached at one end to theplow and trained over pulleys to a point above where the forks are to beelevated, means between the plow and the hollow cross bar for returningthe plow to the rear of the forks after the plow has been advanced to aforward position on the forks, logs on the side of the frame in the pathof movement of the triggers, spring catches on the front of the frame inthe path of movement of the rearwardly ex ending projections, and meansfor-pulling the cable, whereby, when the cable is operated the forks andplow will be elevated together until the triggers contact with the lugsto release the latches and the pins engage the catches, while continuedpull on the cable will project the plow forwardly on the forks, slackingof the cable permitting return of the plow to the rear of the forks forthe projections to contact with the catches to release said catches fromthe pins to permit the forks and plow to fall by gravity.

3. Apparatus for moving trash comprising a frame having a pair ofvertical guides, a series of connected forks slidably mounted in thevertical guides, a plow mounted to slide on the forks, means to normallyretract the plow against the frame, catches near each end of the plow,latches mounted on the forks to engage the catches to lock the plow tothe forks until the forks reach an elevated discharge position, thelatches having rearwardly extending arms, springs on the latches toretain them in engaged position with the catches, lugs on the frame toengage the arms to disengage the latches when the forks and plow havereached elevated discharge position, pins extending from the sides ofthe forks, yielding supports projecting from the frame to engage underthe pins and hold the forks and plow in elevated discharge position,projections on the plow to disengage the yielding supports from the pinswhen the plow is retracted from discharge position and a single cableattached to the bottom of the plow and trained over rollers under theforks and connected to a source of power to elevate the forks and plowand thereafter slide the plow on the forks, the plow being retracted onthe forks when the cable is slackened and the projections engaging theyielding supports to disengage the same from the pins to allow the plowand forks to fall by gravity and the latches to engage the catches tohold the plow and forks together.

ONNO L. .MAYNARD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,306,474 Tieslau Dec. 29, 1942 2,387,764 Maxwell Oct. 30,1945 2,397,045 Richey Mar. 19, 1946 2,418,661 Palm Apr. 8, 19472,421,472 Way June 3, 1947 2,460,544 Smith Feb. 1, 1949 2,468,378Scofield Apr. 26, 1949 2,485,110 Pokorny Oct. 18, 1949

